LLEAP Winners Lifted Up to Industry’s Best

The 2023 LLEAP Awards highlight the most outstanding and cutting-edge new products in the industry.

By Katie Holt

From reaching new heights to enhancing safety features and embracing digital technologies, the 2023 LLEAP Awards finalists have set the stage for a remarkable transformation in the industry. These groundbreaking products and services offer operators, renters, owners, and project managers a distinct advantage in achieving greater efficiency and productivity.

The 2023 LLEAP Awards celebrate the introduction of innovative equipment, support products, and services into the North American market between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023, with availability in North America.

This year, we’ve categorized our recognition into four segments: MEWPs, Material Handlers, Features and Components, and Aftermarket Support Products and Services.

To qualify for these awards, products and services had to be entirely new, freshly introduced from other markets to North America, or existing offerings that underwent significant redesign or modification before re-introduction.

Our esteemed LLEAP judging panel comprises industry experts deeply involved in the operation, rental, sale, and servicing of aerial platforms and lifting equipment.

Their collective expertise and discerning eyes play a crucial role in evaluating the entries.

To assess each entry’s merit, our judges reviewed product literature, photographs, videos, technical drawings, and other information provided by the entrants.

In this year’s LLEAP Program, a total of 12 entries from nine remarkable companies earned recognition.

Within each category, both Gold (first place) and Silver (second place) winners were announced.

In the accompanying chart, you’ll find the names of the Gold and Silver Award winners, as well as the finalists in each category, along with links to their respective company websites for more information.

The articles in the following pages will provide insights into the Gold and Silver winning products and services in each category, shedding light on what the judges found exceptional about these top-ranking innovations.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our respected panel of judges for dedicating their valuable time and expertise to evaluate the entries and provide insightful commentary. Their combined experience, spanning over 300 years, offers invaluable perspectives on what truly matters in achieving excellence with lift and access equipment on the
job site.

Their dedication underscores the significance of these awards in driving progress and innovation within our industry.

To all of this year’s winners, congratulations!

The LLEAP competition considered four categories of entries:

MEWPs: Self-propelled boom lifts; manually or self-propelled scissor, mast, or other

vertical lifts; compact lifts; specialty lifts

Material Handlers: Rough-terrain vertical-mast forklifts and telescopic-boom handlers (fixed and rotating)

Features and Components: Features developed by an OEM or supplier that are integral to an OEM’s new or existing MEWP, vehicle-mounted-lift, or material handler

Aftermarket Support Products and Services: Products and services developed and sold specifically for equipment users

How entries were judged:

In evaluating each entry, the judges looked for:

Innovative features and technology
Perceived value
Productivity for owners and users
Overall benefit to the industry, owners, and users

LLEAP 2023 Finalists and Results

MEWPs

(a) Genie S-60 FE/DC Telescopic Boom Lifts, GOLD, www.genielift.com

(b) Manitou ATJ 60E 4WSCR MEWP, Finalist, www.manitou.com

Material Handlers

(d) Genie GTH-1256 Telehandler, Finalist, www.genielift.com

(e) Magni TH 5,5.24 Fixed Boom Telehandler, GOLD, www.magnith.com

(f) Manitou All-New Series Telescopic Handlers, Finalist, www.manitou.com

(g) Manitou MRT2260e and MRT2660 Electrified Telehandlers, SILVER, www.manitou.com

(h) Pettibone Extendo 1544X Telehandler Finalist, www.gopettibone.com

Features and Components

(i) GMG Tele-Power, SILVER, www.gogmg.com

(j) Trojan AES Battery, GOLD, www.trojanbattery.com

Aftermarket Support Products & Services

(k) Bigfoot Boscaro A-800DBR Hydraulic Construction Bin, SILVER, www.bigfootcrane.com

(l) WIKA qSCALE I2 TH Rated Capacity Indicator, GOLD, www.wika-mc.com

Judges

Michael Crouch

Company: RMC Consults

Title: President

Michael Crouch is the president of RMC Consults in Glendale, Arizona, specializing in working with rental companies and investment companies. He previously was the president and chief operating officer of Acme Lift Co. LLC, which ranks as one of the world’s largest wholesale rerental companies, specializing in MEWPs and telehandlers. Crouch’s 40-year career in the equipment-rental industry includes holding several top executive positions at Volvo Rents (now part of United Rentals) and Volvo CE in North America and Europe. Before joining Volvo, Crouch was a division manager at United Rentals and US Rentals. He began his career in 1979 with Hertz Equipment Rental, where he worked his way up to regional vice president at the age of 27.

Phil Duane

Company: Schempp Wholesale Re Rent

Title: Owner

Phil Duane is the owner of Schempp Wholesale Re Rent, which he opened in June 2018. His company’s mission is to deliver fleet solutions to equipment rental companies and equipment dealers by providing re-rental and specialized equipment, aslong with buying and selling fleet. Proir to starting his company, Duane worked for JLG for 18 years as a central region parts and an equipment sales rep. He also worked at Snorkel as customer support in the parts department and in marketing, and as a parts marketing supervisor with Altec.

Tony Foster

Company: Cianbro Equipment

Title: Equipment Purchaser

Tony Foster has been part of the construction industry for 15 years. He has served in various capacities ranging from field and project engineering to fleet rental management and equipment purchasing. Foster currently works in Cianbro Equipment’s Pittsfield, Maine, office where he assists Cianbro customers with their equipment needs. Cianbro equipment operates four locations in three states and has a diverse fleet of several thousand pieces of construction and lifting equipment.

Tony Groat

Company: International Powered Access Federation

Title: North American Manager

Tony Groat has been the North American regional manager for the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) since 2007, directing association activities to meet the mission of promoting the safe and effective use of powered access equipment. He is active in a number of organizations related to MEWP standards in North America. Groat concluded a 31-year career in the equipment rental business in 2006, as the regional vice president for NES Rentals.

Katie Holt

Company: Catalyst Communications Network

Title: Editor

Katie Holt currently edits Lift and Access and is a contributing editor for Crane Hot Line. Before joining Heartland, Holt worked as a marketing communications specialist at Altec. Altec’s access and lifting products include truck-mounted aerial lifts, boom trucks, and Effer knuckleboom cranes. At Altec, Holt was the company’s copywriter. Before joining Altec, Holt worked as a political communications director and freelanced for news publications.

Michael Jordan

Company: United Rentals, Inc.

Title: Division Fleet Director

Michael Jordan is the Division Fleet Director of United Rentals, NA, Inc. He has worked at United Rentals for over 20 years. From 1990 to 1998 Jordan was the president of Lift Incorporated, an aerial lift rental, sales, and service business. The company served Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Mike Larson

Company: Catalyst Communications Network

Title: Editor in Chief, Crane Hot Line

Mike Larson has edited Crane Hot Line for six years and is a contributing editor for Lift and Access. His career in writing about cranes, other heavy equipment, construction, and engineering spans 45 years. He joined Heartland Communications as editor of Lift and Access in 2011, before moving over to edit its sister publication, Crane Hot Line, since 2017. Larson’s experience writing about heavy equipment began with 24 years working in marketing communications for a leading crane manufacturer. His career in construction journalism includes editing Western Builder and Midwest Construction, as well as writing for Engineering News-Record and Constructor. He holds a degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Jeff Stachowiak

Company: Stach Safety Consulting Services, LLC

Title: President

Jeff Stachowiak has been involved with the equipment rental business since 1986 and worked as the national safety training director and national safety director and director of access safety training for Sunbelt Rentals. Stachowiak is a past executive board member and vice president of the Scaffold and Access Industry Association and is a member of the ANSI A92 committee for Aerial Work Platforms, the ANSI/ITSDF B56 Main Committee and B56.6 Rough Terrain Forklift sub-committee, ISO TC 214 committee for MEWP’s, ISO TC110 committee for Rough Terrain Forklifts and the UL Fabricated Scaffold Planks and Stages committee.He is now retired and offers consulting services for a few selct clients for aerial lift (MEWP) safety, forklift safety, scaffold safety and fall protection as well as OSHA and MSHA regulations and OSHA citations.

MEWPs

Genie S-60 FE/DC Telescopic Boom Lifts – Gold Award

Demand for electric equipment is growing globally as a result of an increasing awareness around the need to reduce emissions.

Because not all jobsites are ready for full electrification yet, Genie offers both FE hybrid and DC electric boom lifts, which combine the benefits of a 4x4 diesel machine with the performance of electric booms.

The S-60 FE and S-60 DC telescopic boom lifts are the industry’s first electrified lightweight, four-wheel drive boom lifts in their height class, and boast best-in-class jib length of 6' with 130° working range for accurate positioning.

Both machines offer a max working height of 67' 2" and an unrestricted platform capacity of 660 lb.

The S-60 FE and S-60 DC can be used indoors and outdoors. The S-60 FE can work more than one week on a single tank of fuel, and both the S-60 DC and the S-60 FE – when run in full electric mode – deliver a full day’s performance on a single battery charge.

Additionally, the FE model’s intelligent control system keeps the batteries charged by using both regenerative braking technology and automatic engine start and stop.

By charging the batteries while the boom works, jobsites can almost entirely eliminate downtime usually caused by plug-in charging.

These booms can work outdoors in rugged terrain at the beginning of a project, and then move indoors for finish work, meeting multiple end user needs with a single machine. This saves the time, money and hassle of transporting new machines to a jobsite in the middle of a project. For that reason, rental companies can expect
a high utilization rate and strong returns on their investment with these boom lifts.

Judge’s Comment

Amazing technology that provides safety, agility, and self-containing power source.

MEC Nano10-XD – Silver Award

MEC’s Nano10-XD is all-electric, 16' working height platform comes standard with the company’s patent pending Xtra-Deck.

The Xtra-Deck gives operators an additional 20" of height and eliminates the risk of standing on guardrails to reach confined overhead spaces.

In March 2023, OSHA reported more than 22,000 people suffered injuries using ladders in 2020.

Statistics like these drive MEC’s focus on innovative solutions that enhance operator safety and jobsite productivity.

The new eco-friendly scissor lift has an ultra-compact design and eliminates the potential risk of an oil leak for environmentally sensitive applications due to zero hydraulic oil with all-electric lift, steer, and drive.

At 1,235 lbs. it can go in any elevator and work on most sensitive floor surfaces. The ability to work three shifts on a single full charge results in a quantum leap in productivity versus ladders or “push around” lifts.

With MEC’s self-propelled lift, the risk of common injuries to back, knees and ankles is reduced. Combined with ground level entry, machine operators will experience fewer workplace injuries.

As its first all-electric scissor lift, MEC introduced the Nano10-XD to the industry and began shipping to customers in January 2023.

Overall, this new scissor lift delivers significant increase in productivity for end users while mitigating the risk of on-the-job injuries.

Judge’s Comment

I believe this type of small scissor is the true ladder replacement and MEC gets it right.

Material Handlers

Magni TH 5,5.24 Fixed Boom Telehandler – Gold Award

Introduced in 2023, the unique Magni TH 5,5.24 telehandler has impressive safety features and max lift height.

The digital Load Moment Indicator (LMI) system, unique to Magni, is an intelligent system that utilizes RFID-tagged attachments and automatically updates the digital display with the precise load chart for the task at hand. Magni has enhanced this by incorporating load-limiting technology which prevents operators from exceeding safe operating parameters.

Thanks to the wide range of available attachments, the Magni TH is a 3-in-1 machine serving as a telehandler, RTCrane, and aerial work platform. All Magni attachments have an RFID tag which when in use, allow the company’s unique LMI system to ensure the safest operation of the machine possible.

At the heart of the TH 5,5.24 is a robust Deutz 136 hp (75 kW) Tier V engine, providing reliable power for your lifting needs.

With its impressive maximum lifting height of 78'5" and lifting capacity of 12,100 lbs., this telehandler empowers operators to reach new heights and handle heavy loads with ease.

The TH 5,5.24 is ideal for dealerships/rental houses as it fits a void in their telehandler lineup.

In addition, contractors and various trades such as concrete, steel erection, framing, general contractors, and more benefit from the lift capacity and lift height of this model.

Judge’s Comment

Cutting-edge RFID attachments and load sensing tech make this extremely safe and easy to use.

Manitou MRT2260e and MRT2660 Electrified Telehandlers – Silver Award

Manitou introduced its electrified range of low emissions “Oxygen” telehandlers in February of 2023, including two rotating models: the MRT 2260E and the MRT 2660E. These introductions were made both to support the growing demand for electrified equipment, as well as to serve the company’s greater mission of lowering total cost of ownership for its customers.

Each new model has retained the performance and specs of the comparable diesel models while reducing emissions, lowering noise on the jobsite, and making lifetime owning and operating costs significantly less.

These telehandlers are perfectly suited for electrification due to their varied use throughout the day, their ability to charge relatively fast, and the importance of less noise impacting verbal communication in many material handling applications.

The elimination of service and support operations and costs around the diesel engines will have significant lifetime cost savings.

The MRT 2260e and the MRT 2660e are an extension of the manufacturer’s powerful VISION+ line of rotating telehandlers — both delivering 13,200 lbs. of maximum capacity in a fully electric machine. The 700 V/65kWh lithium-ion battery is built to sustain work in all environments, and an optional second battery doubles the battery capacity available for work.

An optional on-board fast charger can achieve charging times in less than an hour in the right conditions, and an optional E-Xtra Generator delivers a hybrid experience that can be added to supplement the electric power.

Common applications include residential and non-residential construction, vertical construction, as well as large-scale infrastructure and commercial/industrial construction.

Judge’s Comment

Load charts that match the attachment are a great feature.

Features and Components

Trojan AES Battery – Gold Award

As battery-powered MEWPs and AWPs gain market share in the construction and equipment rental industries, owners and operators realize the power and cost savings this equipment delivers.

Trojan’s premium new AES (Advanced Energy Storage) Battery increases those savings and expands the operating parameters of standard AGM technology.

Standard AGM batteries are maintenance-free, but they are not designed for opportunity charging or to work in a partial state of charge (PSoC). They experience corrosion, sulfation and early failure when that happens repeatedly, as it often does.

An evolution of VRLA technology, Trojan’s AES Battery features a combination of technological advancements, including a proprietary carbon additive to preserve the negative active material. It incorporates additives and Deep Cycle Series (DCS) technology to prevent degradation of the positive materials as well. As a result, the battery works in PSoC while preserving both the negative active and positive material.

Non-spillable and fume-free, the battery is ideal for use in sensitive environments such as hospitals, schools and airports. It also has plug-and-play compatibility with chargers using AGM profiles.

With up to 3x more cycle life than traditional AGM, the battery is validated at 1,200 cycles at 100% DoD. That reduces expensive replacements, which generally cause at least a day’s downtime.

It withstands extreme conditions and harsh temperatures ranging from -40 F to 160 F), the broadest range on the market. This safe energy-storage solution is less expensive than some new technologies and charges faster than standard AGM.

Judge’s Comment

Trojan once again proves why they are the leader in deep cycle batteries, 3x the duty cycle, intermittent charging, and no “memory” development.

GMG Tele-Power – Silver Award

GMG’s Tele-Power takes telematics to the next level where the asset can now receive commands remotely that will adjust, lift heights, drive speeds, stowed, forward/reverse, drive speeds, elevated, forward/reverse, lifting function shut down (in case of non-payment or unauthorized use), alarms, drive audible on/off-Alarms, Lifting Audible on/off (lowering always on), alarms, pulse/solid, and options on/off.

By using GMG’s exclusive i-Power digital operating system, most all movements/operations of the machine are adjustable.

Often the customer requests certain parameters to be modified, in the past this was a huge headache and hard to accomplish, with GMG’s i-Power it is a simple as selecting the items to adjust and adjusting as requested.

Now with GMG’s Tele-Power this can all be accomplished remotely.

Judge’s Comment

Telematics have become a more and more crucial part of construction equipment. This is next level technology.

Aftermarket Support Products & Services

WIKA Mobile Control qSCALE 12 TH – Gold Award

The qSCALE I2 TH rated capacity indicator (RCI) system was designed specifically for telehandlers and is suitable for both OEM and aftermarket telehandler applications.

The qSCALE I2 TH features a user-friendly 4.3" color graphic display that provides the operator with actual and allowable load, boom length, boom angle, load radius, and height.

Depending on specific requirements, three other optional system components are available. If a longitudinal load moment indicator (LLMI) or limiter (LLML) is required, the rear axle sensor can be added to measure the strain on the rear axle.

The gSENS WGX sensor can be added to indicate the tilt of the chassis.

One of the benefits of the RCI system is that it reduces operator error. While operating within the allowable range (determined by the load chart), the top bar graph on the display will be green.

As the operator starts to reach the allowable limits, the bar graph will change from green to yellow. Once the limit is reached, an alarm will sound and the bar graph will turn red.

The system also enables the machine owner to maximize the machines lifting capacity.

This ensures that the machine isn’t overworked and the operator isn’t lifting loads that they shouldn’t be.

The integrated data logger tracks machine usage and helps to determine whether a machine has been misused, prolonging the overall life of the machine.

The data logger provides a report that indicates machine productivity and any overload instances.

Judge’s Comment

Offers big improvement in safety for telehandlers that didn’t come with a built-in LMI.

Bigfoot Crane Company Boscaro A-800DBR – Silver Award

In November 2022, Bigfoot Crane Company introduced a new remote-controlled hydraulic construction bin into the North American market. Manufactured for Bigfoot by Boscaro S.r.l. in Italy, the A-800DBR is a clamshell bucket with a loading capacity of over 35,000 lbs..

Innovative in its sheer size, the A-800DBR creates efficiencies onsite with its capability of transporting vast amounts of earth, gravel, and other loose material.

At the same time, the remote-controlled feature allows workers to stay clear and safe in the process of unloading. Clients in heavy commercial construction and on large civil development projects

The dumping mechanism is completely incorporated within the bin itself and is operated by remote control from the crane cab, so as not to require any person’s direct access to the unloading area.

When ready to unload, the bin’s floor opens laterally by way of two giant mobile flaps in order to release its contents. Aside from the bin being properly attached to the hook of the crane, there is no additional support required to operate the bin.

In addition, the remote-controlled system on the A-800DBR allows for maximum responsiveness and flexibility in emptying the contents of the bin, making it possible for a partial discharge in one suspended location, then closing and moving to another location to continue discharging material.

Judge’s Comment

This construction bin’s 35,000-lb. capacity, remote control, and ability to partially discharge are all impressive.